Former prosecutor wins in Strasbourg: Vetting dismissal disproportionate, Albania must pay him compensation

Former General Prosecutor’s Office prosecutor Adnand Kosova has won his battle at the Court in Strasbourg.

After examining Kosova’s case, Strasbourg declared that “the applicant’s dismissal was not shown to be proportionate to the legitimate aims pursued.”

The Court assessed that, if Kosova so requests, it would be appropriate for the vetting procedure to be reopened and the case re-examined in accordance with the requirements of Article 8.

Albania must pay Adnand Kosova 6,000 euros for non-pecuniary damage and 5,000 euros for the costs and expenses of the proceedings.

Adnand Kosova was dismissed from office by a decision of the Special Appeals Chamber, the second instance of the vetting process, a decision that Strasbourg has now considered disproportionate.

Kosova is a career prosecutor who served at the Serious Crimes Prosecution Office from December 2004 and also headed that institution. At the time he was removed from the justice system, he was serving as a prosecutor at the General Prosecutor’s Office.